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HALIFAX DISASTER RECORD OFFICE
CHRONICLE BUILDING
HALIFAX, N. S.

Meanwhile, I wish to say that in the midst of the blackness of the clouds of calamity, there are notwithstanding many gleams of light which assure us of the everliving and ever present God Who is not leaving us alone.
The fortitude of our people, the energy they have shown and the kindly spirit of unselfish fellowship are among some of the fruits of the ever abiding Spirit.
I have heard of very few attempts of looting, and drunkenness is almost unknown. While there have been some efforts made by unscrupulous people, who have been uninjured, to obtain the supplies required by sufferers, these have been comparatively rare, and the general desire upon all sides has been to help where help is needed and forget individual losses. I have known many also who left their own houses unrepaired in order to give their time to the work of relief.
Coming to the relief work of the church I have only to say that on the Sunday after the disaster I requested all ministers of all churches to meet at St. Paul's Church the next day. Individual clergymen had all been independently working and doing their best at the hospitals or wherever needed. This meeting was for corporate action.
The result was a gathering of nearly every minister in the city, except those of the Roman Catholics. An Executive Committee was appointed with the Archbishop as Chairman, and arrangements were made for meeting every morning at 9.30.
The Institute rooms having been taken over by the Medical Relief Board, the Presbyterians offered the use of their offices in the McCurdy Building and they every since have been the headquarters of the clergy, and all Protestant bodies are represented there. The fine spirit of fellowship that has been manifested is most encouraging and inspiring, and the work of relief has been greatly helped by this organization.
In the organization there is a Hospital Committee which assures a clerical attendant at every hospital throughout the twenty-four hours; a Visiting Committee which has to look after all needy cases, and a Funeral Committee to arrange for the burial of the dead.
Besides these each denomination has an organization of its own. The Church of England meets at the Institute every Tuesday evening and considers all matters in which it is specially interested. Among other duties is the administration of funds sent for the work of the Church of England. Money received by the Archbishop for this purpose is placed in the Merchants Bank, and Mr. R. G. Sare, Manager of that Bank, is acting as Treasurer.

Clare L. Nova Scotia.

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